Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Stock Holdings Cut by IKE Capital LLC

IKE Capital LLC lowered its holdings in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 5.8% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 19,440 shares of the software giant’s stock after selling 1,191 shares during the period. Microsoft accounts for 3.7% of IKE Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. IKE Capital LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $7,251,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MSFT. Hedeker Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Microsoft by 6.9% during the 2nd quarter. Hedeker Wealth LLC now owns 55,236 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $20,604,000 after acquiring an additional 3,546 shares during the period. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management raised its position in Microsoft by 4.0% in the second quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 229,490 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $85,604,000 after purchasing an additional 8,773 shares in the last quarter. D.B. Root & Company LLC bought a new position in Microsoft during the second quarter worth about $3,652,000. Dearborn Partners LLC bought a new position in Microsoft during the second quarter worth about $75,641,000. Finally, GTS Securities LLC boosted its holdings in Microsoft by 44.6% during the second quarter. GTS Securities LLC now owns 271,597 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $101,311,000 after purchasing an additional 83,734 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MSFT shares. KeyCorp set a $625.00 price objective on Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Needham & Company LLC assumed coverage on Microsoft in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Tigress Financial boosted their target price on shares of Microsoft from $680.00 to $690.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $640.00 target price on shares of Microsoft in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, William Blair began coverage on shares of Microsoft in a research report on Monday, October 5th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $609.54.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $501.46, for a total transaction of $43,388,826.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 486,763 shares in the company, valued at $244,092,173.98. The trade was a 15.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Amy Hood sold 41,674 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.27, for a total value of $20,764,903.98. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 533,624 shares in the company, valued at $265,888,830.48. This trade represents a 7.24% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 135,504 shares of company stock worth $68,138,024 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Microsoft Stock Up 6.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $555.80 on Thursday. Microsoft Corporation has a 12 month low of $349.20 and a 12 month high of $559.15. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $515.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $439.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm has a market cap of $4.13 trillion, a P/E ratio of 29.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.05.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The software giant reported $4.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.72 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $92.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $90.62 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 41.17% and a return on equity of 31.28%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $4.13 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a $0.98 dividend. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. This is a positive change from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Microsoft’s dividend payout ratio is 19.00%.

Key Headlines Impacting Microsoft

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Cloud and AI results supported the rally. Microsoft’s fiscal first-quarter revenue rose 19% year over year to $92.28 billion, beating estimates, while Azure growth accelerated and AI adoption continued to expand. Reports also highlighted a $677 billion commercial backlog as evidence of future demand. Article: MSFT Q1 Earnings Call Highlights Azure Growth and AI Spending
• Positive Sentiment: Broader market strength lifted mega-cap technology shares. Microsoft joined a post-election rebound as investors rotated back into AI leaders; the company also reached a record high during the session. Article: Microsoft Stock Hits Record High as Midterm Results Boost AI Infrastructure Bets
• Positive Sentiment: New analytics tools target AI-assisted shopping. Microsoft added features to Clarity that help merchants track how AI agents interact with websites and apps, extending the company’s offerings for businesses adopting agentic AI. Article: Microsoft Clarity Helps Merchants Welcome AI Shopping Agents
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft disclosed a $25 billion senior-notes offering. The debt issuance provides financing flexibility, but also adds borrowing and interest obligations. Article: Microsoft Announces $25 Billion Senior Notes Offering
• Negative Sentiment: AI investment remains a key risk. Analysts and commentary flagged substantial infrastructure spending, possible pressure on free cash flow and margins, and political calls for tighter data-center rules that could constrain future expansion. Article: Microsoft: Don’t Get Too Excited About Its Positive FCF

Microsoft Company Profile

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices and digital platforms. Its products and services are used by consumers, businesses, governments and educational institutions worldwide.

The company’s principal offerings include the Windows operating system; Microsoft 365 productivity applications such as Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook; Azure cloud computing and infrastructure services; Dynamics business applications; and enterprise security solutions.